YOUR inbox has probably already been filled with offers.

But according to a recent Which? investigation while that Black Friday discount may look like a good deal, you may get a better bargain if you're willing to wait.

The year-long investigation from the consumer watchdog has found 87% of product prices were the same price or cheaper than their Black Friday price at other times of year.

Some 46% of products were cheaper than their Black Friday price on at least one day during the six months afterwards.

Black Friday originated in America and always follows Thanksgiving as the first day many people start their Christmas shopping.

Should I buy on Black Friday?

The investigation looked into a year’s worth of pricing data for 94 popular tech, home and personal products that were on offer over Black Friday 2017, from six months before the event until six months afterwards.

A total of 59 deals from Currys PC World, 18 deals from Amazon, 14 from John Lewis and three from Argos were included in the analysis and then the data compared with the price of the products on Black Friday itself.

 

According to the Which? investigation, unique bargains were scarce – only 13% of the products tracked were at their very cheapest price of the year on Black Friday (meaning that the same price wasn’t found on any other day).

While 36% could be found at the same price as on Black Friday at other times of the year.

Tips for bagging a Black Friday bargain

Which? has shared some top tips ahead of Black Friday to bag a bargain.

1. Find out about offers ahead

Sign up to your favourite retailers’ newsletters for inside tips or check their social media pages ahead of the sales for any clues or hints to what will be on offer.

2. Try not to impulse buy

Don’t get duped into buying a dud and check reviews before parting with your cash.

3. Don’t worry about missing out on a good offer

Unless you’re in a rush for a particular product, you could be better off waiting until after Black Friday.

4. Know the life cycle of products

The Which? investigation found the price of some products can vary by as much as 50% through the year and often outside of sales periods or Black Friday.

5. Be wary of lesser-known brands

If a deal looks too good to be genuine, then it probably is.

On Black Friday, it’s a good idea to steer clear of lesser or unknown brands that are on offer – it’s likely that these won’t be worth even the reduced price.